Thankful. Grateful.

So many things I could list I am grateful for this year. The first? Being able to comfortably have thanksgiving at my Grandfather's house this year.

I am grateful for mismatched chairs, mismatched plates, mismatched serving dishes, mismatched styles of stuffing, but most of all... mismatched people.

I am grateful that they needed to figure out how to fit two extra dining tables in the living room. And for needing to pull out every chair we could possibly imagine could work for seating.

I am also grateful for perfect weather, open windows, and natural light flooding in.

I am grateful for having to fill so many cups with drinks. And for getting to spend another year with my grandfather, who is now in his mid-eighties. And has been my hero since childhood.

I am grateful for mischievous nieces and opportunities to give aunt-worthy advice.

For cherry pies.

And first attempts at sweet potato pies.

And having so many pies that they can only be stored in the laundry room and on top of deep freezers.

For actually having enough green bean casserole for leftovers this year. (it is usually the first one to be demolished within the first trip around the table.)

And for evidence of full bellies. :)

Other things I am grateful for this year:

A good job

Good friends

The sound of my big brother snoring in his chair right now.

My lovely, sensitive, mature, hilarious nieces.

A new place I feel safe in.

Friends that are fantastic enough to help me move into this new said place.

Male family members who gripe about me having a low tire... then air it up for me.

My camera.

My brother making me rocket fuel style coffee to cure my caffeine headache... at midnight.

My creativity.

The strides I have taken in healing some things within myself.

My nephews coming into town tomorrow evening.

My long day of black friday I have ahead of me tomorrow.

And last but not least. My grandfather allowing me to inherit beautiful, vintage, handpainted Christmas ornaments that originally belonged to my grandmother. It meant so much.

Happy Thanksgiving guys!